I was in Cumming last Thursday on a Home Dog Training revisit lesson with my client and his cute little Maltese, Zoe. The original reason that we had been called in for dog training was Zoe’s potty training and chewing the base boards in the house. My client had done a great job and these issues were just about resolved. As with “pealing back the pieces of an onion”, with these matters under control, my client “discovered” a new issue with Zoe. She loved to bark at just about anything going on outside the house. My client just didn’t know what to do to get this barking under control. That is why we decided to focus our lesson on “Barking” last Thursday.
I first explained that barking is a natural form of communication for dogs. It is the second most prevalent communication in which they engage, directly behind posture and body language. It is used to gain attention.
The problem that my client was having with Zoe was that it wasn’t a little, “Hey there is something going on” barking. All dogs do this to inform the rest of the pack of a situation and to engage the pack leader to respond. This form of communication is displayed in about five to ten seconds of barking. Then it is done. Zoe was continually barking for what my client described as “an eternity”. Whatever he tried, he couldn’t get her to stop. She would ignore him and go right back to more barking.
I explained to my client that this behavior is showing that she is trying to be the dominant one and wants to take the lead in dealing with the distraction. She wanted everyone to focus on her and to take orders from her.
We needed to change roles so that my client was the leader and would always demand respectful focus from Zoe. The crazy barking will only stop once Zoe understands that she is not the boss and that her job is to focus on the “true leader”; my client. When it gets right down to it, it is really hard to bark and go nuts when you are giving respectful focus to someone else.
The first thing I told my client to do was to put a six foot leash on Zoe. He could use either a collar or harness. He needs to keep the leash on whenever he is home with Zoe. He needs to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t get caught on something or pull something over on top of her.
Whenever he hears Zoe start to bark, he needs to calmly walk into the same area, put his foot on the leash, and then slowly go down and pick up the end. Next, he needs to give the leash a slight tug while he makes a unique correction audible (i.e shhhh, ugh-ugh, or grrr) to get Zoe to focus back to him. If Zoe is still barking and looking away, he needs to walk her away from the distraction that initiated the barking. He needs to stay calm as he walks and slightly tugs the leash as he departs the area.
My client’s calm demeanor will decrease Zoe’s adrenalized state and will refocus her attention on him. She will notice that she is no longer in charge because she is being walked and directed by him. As soon as my client sees that his little Maltese is calm and focused on his actions, he should praise her good decision and drop the leash.
He needs to repeat this action every time Zoe starts to bark incessantly. Again, I reminded my client that a little barking is a necessary component of Zoe’s communication and needs to be allowed. It is the crazy stuff that shows lack of focus and respect.
Besides the redirection, I suggested that he provide static distractions to keep Zoe’s attention within the house and not always “wondering what can be out there”. I suggested chew toys such as deer antlers. I also suggested that he engage in passive and calm play while they are together in the house. I suggested rolling a tennis ball across the floor and have Zoe retrieve it. If she isn’t the “fetch type”, he can just get several tennis balls and have her constantly going after them. He can also play hide and seek with goodies. We suggest healthy goodies from Life’s Abundance. While Zoe is somewhere else, he can hide the goodie behind a chair or other object. Then have Zoe come into the room and coax her to find the goodie. All these activities keep her focus inside and make the outside less attractive.
We also began to work on obedience exercises such as sit, come, and walk. These exercises build up the bond between them and create a strong and lasting relationship. The consistent actions based on desired results also cements a clear trust between Zoe and her master.
Just as our mothers clearly understood, building a strong point of focus and clear sense of trust is tantamount to a respectful relationship.
Please call us at (770) 718-7704 it you are in need of any dog training help. We have a lot of good dog training tips at Best Dog Trainers Cumming Georgia. Find all our phone numbers, text addresses and email contacts at Dog Training Help Center Cumming Georgia.
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